REPORT #108 Sept 1999
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO MAKE BELIZE THE SOFTWARE SILICON VALLEY OF
THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AMERICAS?

Produced by the Belize
Development Trust

About seven or eight years ago, we put this question in some
books we wrote on Belize. Since that time an Internet Committee
was formed in Belize, which now seems defunct; but which did at
the time assist in technology sharing for hooking up school
computer systems and internet connections. There is also now a
college in Belmopan the capital, teaching computer courses and
different software applications. On the down side, the BTL
monopoly and other issues did not allow nationwide installation
of the necessary infra-structure for land line telephones,
computer installations and free internet services. The one
FREENET was shut down by the privately owned sovereign
telecommunications monopoly known as BTL.

Governments, both UDP and the PUP over the last 12 years, still
do not seem more than mildly interested in computer technology.
Part seems to be fear of the cost, the other part seems to be
lack of practical experience in the field and inability to create
the GRANTS to get a computer technological society widespread
throughout the six districts of Belize.

In the private sector, business has jumped on the bandwagon of
computer technology and in my own village of Caye Caulker, a
recent survey showed that more than half of the businesses and
homes had a computer. Caye Caulker is fortunate though, they
also have the infra-structure in both telephones and electricity
to make computer technology work, even though they are an
isolated barrier reef small island. The only drawback being the
financially prohibitive prices charged by the telecommunications
monopoly for internet time. This story is repeated around
Belize, whereever a community has both telephone and electrical
infra-structure. Unfortunately, large parts of the six districts
comprising the nation of Belize still have neither of these basic
infra-structure things.

What things would a government have to do, to encourage
development of Belize, as a software Silicon Valley? No.1 of
course would be the supply of a land line telephone to each home
in the country, No.2 would be the supply of electricity. No.3
would be FREE INTERNET service, or a modest paid for service in
the realm of $5 per month. No. 4 Would be the establishment of a
two year training college degree in software development.

Should we even try to get such infra-structure widespread
throughout the six district nation of Belize? Let us look at
some figures for the State of Florida in the USA.

While local County governments and City governments in the
State of Florida do not seem to be aware of the impact of Silicon
Valley type business, the Federal statistics show another story.
The USA Labor statistics show that high tech in Florida
represents 46% of the State of Florida EXPORTS. It has a payroll
of $7.8 billion, ranks sixth nationally in the USA for high tech
employment and on average pays an employee $17,000 a year for the
lower paid jobs such as data entry. The Silicon Valley aspects
of computer technology in Florida has grown without any conscious
awareness, or encouragement from local County or City
governments. The major factors seem to be the BI-LINGUAL NATURE
of the population, proximity to South American and other
International markets. Plus, while County governments such as
Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami follow bureaucratic
policies that punish new business with excessive taxes, zoning
problems, code violation fines and other penalties that
discourage new business. (They are more orientated into
preserving high salaries for local government bureaucrats at the
expense of any encouragement of business otherwise.) The high
tech aspects of computer technology has grown anyway. There are
numerous reasons for this. In software creation, the highest
local job maker, the internet provides a field that is
international in scope. The work can be done from home on a home
office computer with undeclared permits and in violation of
codes, and zoning enforcements. A business that develops and
sells software applications can be located in several countries
and numerous cities and counties in a loose knit web of
connectivity from homes via the telephone land line. The growth
of Software creation and exporting has thus grown DESPITE local
governments and for the most part unknown to them. The Federal
statistics however, show the impact financially on the local
economy, in payroll taxes and deductions and other fees that are
reported. While the business atmosphere of the County government
and some City governments are anti-business, the climate is sub-
tropical and there are many water places for beautiful
recreation. So the climate is a big draw in bringing technical
people to South Florida, especially if you live in the north,
blizzard prone freezing sectors of the northern USA. Companies
like Citrix Systems Inc. are a $248.6 million Fort Lauderdale
software company. It was founded in 1989 and employs 700 people.
At least 220 of them are now millionares due to stock options in
lieu of salary during start up phases.

The USA House Telecommunications and Utilities Committee in
public hearings found certain criteria for the development of a
Silicon Valley high-tech Software Industry in South Florida.

1) You need high quality education, from elementary school
through graduate college.

2) People want to live where there are good schools. They are
technically specialized academic and salary orientated. Good
schools are needed to provide the workers in any software
industry.

3) Internet literacy is compulsory for elementary schools! That
means teachers are teaching typing and very young students how to
use search engines and search the internet as a matter of course
for homework assignments. ( Our Standards 4,5, & 6 )

4) College level and post graduate level degrees up to Phd level
are required to stay on the cutting edge of technology changes.

5) There is a world wide shortage of trained people, so
education and education systems mean a lot to forming companies
in places like Belize, if they aspired to become the Silicon
Valley of the Americas and Caribbean.

Broward County just north of Miami Dade County is much more
advanced in these goals. Miami Dade County is bogged down in
poverty orientated project housing, welfare recipients and
corrupt government; geared to creating a civil service based
economy using Federal and State tax subsidies. Broward County to
the north however, has a different outlook. Here you can train
yourself to be a computer programmer in High School, or as an
adult working a regular job, doing night courses in subjects like
Unix, C++ and Java Script. ( courses can be credit, or non-credit
), ( see an earlier report on Development Issues on the Belize
Electronic and Resource Development Library at:
http://AmbergrisCaye.com/BzLibrary )

The Broward County Community College has created a two year
"software developer" certification course, designed by a bunch of
companies belonging to the American Electronic Association
Companies. There is nothing comparable in the Miami Dade County,
High School, or Community College system adjoining to the south.
The certification course taking two years was created to supply
students with the skills the Silicon Valley type companies need.
On graduation, the students are snapped up immediately with
salaries starting around $40,000 to $60,000 a year. There is a
shortage of skilled people. Just a simple two year college
course designed to serve the new companies wanting to move into
South Florida, or start new companies here because of the sub-
tropical climate and recreational atmosphere. ( Wendy, Diane and
Tina, are you reading this above? - Just two years of studies to
get $45,000 USA a year! )

High-tech companies in a Silicon Valley atmosphere can be
harmed quickly by ignorant tax policies. Even insignificant
changes in State regulation can harm them. So State and Local
governments find they now have to go on-line to offer services.
Something similar is happening in Belize; but for a month, I have
not been able to find an e-mail address for the Minister of
Public Works in Belmopan, Belize. Belize is going to have to
move to REAL TIME government services ON-LINE. ( Workshops for
bureaucrats anyone? )

Belize needs a THINK TANK and a cabinet position under this
current pyramidal political structure, for technology, grant
writing and seeking, and a commission for high technology
development. If Belize, does not consciously intend and act in
REAL TIME to provide infra-structure as best it can, as rapidly
as it can, to the nation as a whole; the benefits of creating a
Software Development Silicon Valley Industry will pass Belize by.
Belize has much more to offer in the form of recreational and
climate service to North American companies than South Florida.
I myself, would favor the Corozal District myself, due to
rainfall patterns and shopping opportunities in Mexico. But
individuals of the same company based in Corozal area, should
also be able to telecommute by phone land lines via the computer
from the remote hills of the Toledo District, or San Ignacio.
What kind of alternative economic incentives can be offered to
entrepreneurs from abroad to bring them to Belize to start their
software writing, exporting companies? Not the tired old stuff
we have had on the books for 35 years which have not worked
hardly at all. The Silicon Valley type industries are based on
solid infra-structure ( electricity and telephone lines ), a
trained mind working with a team, with trained skills and a
simple computer. Reliable electricity, telephone hookups and
FREE INTERNET are all components of this infra-structure.
Development of a two year degree at the Community College level-
for ANY COLLEGES IN BELIZE! ( Just copy the one from Broward
County Community College for a curriculum.) There are GRANTS
available from MCI ( already in Belize ), Microsoft, Apple and
numerous others. I do not even know the equivalents in Japan and
Europe.

Can we turn Belize around? Of course! But it is going to take
some different attitudes at the political level and a re-
orientation of power politics and policy making. The current
system which favors the status quo is not going to do it. It is
a follower of events by about 15 years, not an instigator for the
future. National government needs to concentrate on INFRA-
STRUCTURE and be legislated out of micro-managing local events.